Last week I wrote in defense of mason jars in response to a bride who was rethinking her entire wedding decor based on the recent debate about what bloggers choose to publish. This week, I thought I’d continue my defense of mason jars with the following proclamation:
From Style Me Pretty (tag: “Mason Jar”)
OK, this is not the so-called Mason Jar Manifesto that Jonas Peterson wrote. It’s more like a proclamation. (The manifesto’s coming; I promise…) Anyway, I want to state publicly why I personally love mason jars and bunting and all the other things that some people are “tired of seeing.” Though, as Abby Larson from Style Me Pretty pointed out:
“The thing is, we’ve been staring at details for years. But we aren’t the ones getting married. Brides are. Brides read our blogs. Brides who haven’t been poring over mason jars for the last three years. They are new and seeing things for the first time.”
Great point, huh? But there’s more to my love of mason jars and bunting than reader demand, and it has to do with that make-do mountain culture, where you literally make do with what you have available to you. But let’s not ignore the money-saving aspect of found objects and simple crafts. The following is a comment I posted in response to Rogue Bride’s own proclamation regarding mason jars (and macarons, but that’s a story for another time.) I though I’d share it here in case you missed it.
OK, here’s the deal on why I still like some of the waaaaaaay overly used DIY stuff (i.e. mason jars, bunting, chalkboard menus, and cupcakes.) Because they’re accessible.
It’s easy for the average bride to save some money and personalize her wedding by dumping a handful of sunflowers, wildflowers, or Gerber daisies into mason jars and calling it good. With a pair of pinking shears, any woman (or man, as was the case with the hindsight groom) can dash off a row of bunting to dress up a table or alter. Cupcakes? Good and cheap. Punch out a few rounds of wrapping paper and glue to a tooth pick and you have something sweet and whimsical that most of your friends and family have never seen.
Don’t get me wrong, as a blogger I’m always on the hunt for new ideas. But I also understand that today’s ubiquitous paper and fabric flowers and S’mores at the fire pit will be tomorrow’s source of blogger derision. They are all trends, even the coolest detail, if repeated enough, will look dated in time.
And there in lays the rub that the Rogue Bride and I are always exploring. As bloggers, many of us love the Pretty-Pretty. But as bloggers, we look at the same Pretty-Pretty season after season. I does get old. Really old! But this stuff is brand new for many newly engaged couples. And the mason jars, bunting, and cupcakes are popular because they are easy to pull off. They are accessible to the average couple. And often times, they prove to be a reasonably priced alternative to elaborate centerpieces and overly decorated wedding cake.
Looking for some resources for prettying up your mason jars? Check these out:
- http://hindsightbride.com/
2011/01/11/fresh-ideas-mason- jars/ - http://mountainsidebride.com/
2011/06/13/mason-jar-delight- wrapped-lace-twine/ - http://mountainsidebride.com/
2011/04/15/make-your-own-blue- mason-jars-diy-find (I especially love blue glass with pink flowers) - Style Me Pretty, Tag: Mason Jar